{"id":7373,"date":"2026-03-27T16:00:00","date_gmt":"2026-03-27T16:00:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.chr.org.uk\/anddidthosefeet\/?p=7373"},"modified":"2026-03-27T15:35:26","modified_gmt":"2026-03-27T15:35:26","slug":"greenwich-crying-over-nelson-virginia-woolf-march-27th-1926","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/chr.org.uk\/anddidthosefeet\/greenwich-crying-over-nelson-virginia-woolf-march-27th-1926\/","title":{"rendered":"Greenwich: Crying over Nelson, Virginia Woolf March 27th 1926"},"content":{"rendered":"\n
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Uniform worn by Nelson at the Battle of Trafalgar (1805), his final engagement, showing the musket ball hole; now displayed at the National Maritime Museum, Greenwich By Morio – Own work, CC BY-SA 3.0<\/a>, <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Virginia Woolf In Greenwich<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n

‘Where shall I spend the day? decided on Greenwich, arrived there at 1; lunched, everything fell out pat; smoked a cigarette on the pier promenade, saw the ships swinging up, one, two, three, out of the haze; adored it all; yes, even the lavatory keepers little dog; saw the grey Wren buildings fronting the river, & then another great ship, grey and orange; with a woman walking on deck; & then to the hospital; first to the museum, where I saw John Franklin’s pen and spoons (a spoon asks a good deal of imagination to consecrate it) – I played with my mind watching what it would do, and behold if I didn’t burst into tears over the coat Nelson wore at Trafalgar with the medal which he hid with his hand when they carried him down, dying, lest the sailors might see it was him. <\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

There was too, his little fuzzy pigtail of golden greyish hair tied in black, & his long white stockings, one much stained, & his white breeches with the gold buckles, & his stock – all of which I suppose they must have undone & taken off as he lay dying. Kiss me Hardy, &c – Anchor, anchor, – I read it all when I came in, & could swear I was there on the Victory – So the charm worked in that case. Then it was raining a little, but I went into the Park, which is all prominence and radiating paths, then back on top of a Bus & so to tea.<\/em> ‘<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Virginia. Woolf, Diary, 1926, quoted from ‘A London Year’ Compiled by Travis Ellborough & Nick Bennison<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Greenwich<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n

It’s a lovely description of her day out. I think it is like most of our excursions to Greenwich, except she didn’t go to the Market, nor stop in one of the historic pubs, nor go the Royal Observatory. Cutty Sark was not there until 1954. The Museum she mentions is not the National Maritime Museum as that was not opened till 1937, although the idea dates from the year after Woolf’s visit. So, the Museum is a precursor. Nelson’s funeral was preceded by a lying-in-state<\/a> for three days at the Royal Hospital for Seamen at Greenwich<\/a>, (which is the Hospital Viriginia Woolf mentions). He was buried in St Pauls on 9 January 1806 , with his body taken by boat from Greenwich to St Pauls. So, there was a local Museum with maritime content in it. I assume associated with the Royal Hospital.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

I hate to think what my, unforgiving, on-line grammar editor will make of those long sentences with so many sub-clauses! It is a problem for me as the tool rates the writing on various criteria and refuses to give you a green tick when you have long sentences, not enough headings, paragraphs too short or long, passive writing, etc. etc. And an on-line automated, probably AI assisted tool is not going to let it through just because it is by Virginia Woolf. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Cutty Sark<\/h1>\n\n\n\n
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The Cutty Sark was one of the fastest Tea Clipper Ships. It was built in Dumbarton, Scotland in 1869. And is resting as a Tourist Attraction in Greenwich. She gets her name from Tam O\u2019Shanter, one of Robert Burns\u2019 greatest poems. written in 1791. The story of the name is told by the Figurehead. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Figureheads on the prow of ships are very often\u00a0 of a semi naked women with her torso breasting the water.\u00a0 The young witch, Nannie Dee, in Tam O\u2019Shanter is identified as the one who is very \u2018Vauntie\u2019 and with a short shift that she wore as a child and so is now short and revealing. The poem names this garment as her \u2018Cutty Sark. Sark is her shift. Cutty is dialect for short. The Cutty Sark\u2019s figurehead shows Nannie in her shift holding the tail of Tam\u2019s horse.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Tam O’Shanter<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Her cutty sark, o\u2019 Paisley harn,
That while a lassie she had worn,
In longitude tho\u2019 sorely scanty,
It was her best, and she was vauntie.\u2014
Ah! little kend thy reverend grannie,
That sark she coft for her wee Nannie,
Wi\u2019 twa pund Scots, (\u2019twas a\u2019 her riches),
Wad ever grac\u2019d a dance of witches!<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

The story is that the drunken Tam on his steady horse Maggie is travelling home when he seems a devilish dance taking place in a graveyard, presided over by the devil himself. Tam is so excited when he sees the young beautiful witch that he bellows his approval and all of a sudden the merriment ends, and in deadly silence the witches turn on Tam and race to catch him.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Tam tint his reason a\u2019 thegither,
And roars out, \u2018Weel done, Cutty-sark!\u2019
And in an instant all was dark:
And scarcely had he Maggie rallied.
When out the hellish legion sallied.<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

As bees bizz out wi\u2019 angry fyke,
When plundering herds assail their byke;
As open pussie\u2019s mortal foes,
When, pop! she starts before their nose;
As eager runs the market-crowd,
When \u2018Catch the thief!\u2019 resounds aloud;
So Maggie runs, the witches follow,
Wi\u2019 mony an eldritch skreech and hollow.<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Maggie<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Tam and his horse have to get across a brook before the witches because the witches cannot cross the water. The witches must get him before the bridge over the brook or face burning at the stake. All depends on Maggie (Meg). The young witch in the Cutty Sark is catching up as they approach the bridge. Maggie makes a magnificent leap, the witch makes a despairing grab and only can reach Maggie\u2019s tail but Tam and his horse make it to safety leaving the witch the tail.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Cutty Sark Figurehead<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Ah, Tam! Ah, Tam! thou\u2019ll get thy fairin!
In hell they\u2019ll roast thee like a herrin!
In vain thy Kate awaits thy comin!
Kate soon will be a woefu\u2019 woman!
Now, do thy speedy utmost, Meg,
And win the key-stane of the brig;
There at them thou thy tail may toss,
A running stream they dare na cross.
But ere the key-stane she could make,
The fient a tail she had to shake!
For Nannie, far before the rest,
Hard upon noble Maggie prest,
And flew at Tam wi\u2019 furious ettle;
But little wist she Maggie\u2019s mettle\u2014
Ae spring brought off her master hale,
But left behind her ain gray tail:
The carlin claught her by the rump,
And left poor Maggie scarce a stump.<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Now, follow the link below and read the whole poem but read it out loud, standing up and with gusto. Don\u2019t worry about the pronunciation, just enjoy it.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Tam o\u2019 Shanter<\/a><\/blockquote>